Austin Pettis

With a showdown against the Bills in Buffalo around the corner, the Patriots engaged in the usual gamesmanship, bringing in a pair of former Bills for workouts this week. According to Doug Kyed of NESN (Twitter link), running back Bryce Brown and quarterback Alex Tanney were among the players to get auditions from New England this week.

Brown has showed flashes of promise in the past, and Tanney has spent time on multiple NFL rosters, so the Pats were likely assessing both players as potential options in case of injuries throughout the season. But it probably didn’t hurt that Brown and Tanney were with the Bills in camp, and could provide some info on the opposition.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has the latest details on the NFL’s appeal of Judge Richard Berman’s Deflategate ruling, as the case figures to drag on for at least the next several months.

Head coach Bill Belichick hinted today that newly-acquired wide receiver and return man Keshawn Martin will be more of a factor as a kickoff returner than as a punt returner, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

Nicks, who spent his first five years with the Giants, posting multiple 1,000-yard seasons in New York, caught just 38 balls for 405 yards and four touchdowns last year in Indianapolis. He found a new home in free agency when he signed with the Titans earlier in the year, but Tennessee opted to keep just four wideouts on the roster to start the season, cutting Nicks earlier this month. The veteran wideout has since worked out for the Saints as well.

While Nicks is obviously the biggest name in the group, all four wideouts have NFL experience, and each has at least one season with double-digit receptions on his résumé. Outside of Nicks, Pettis has the most career catches (95), including 38 for the Rams in 2013.

If the Cowboys do add a veteran free agent to their wide receiving corps, I wouldn’t expect the new player to have a major role in the offense during Bryant’s absence. Instead, players like Terrance Williams, Cole Beasley, Devin Street, and Jason Witten figure to get a few more looks until the club’s No. 1 receiver returns.

The Eagles, who parted ways with the polarizing Tim Tebow last week, auditioned a pair of quarterbacks on Tuesday, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). Josh Johnson and Thad Lewis, who were both let go by their respective teams on September 5th, both worked out for Chip Kelly & Co. Johnson, 29, made an appearance during the Jets’ final preseason game, passing for 82 yards while adding 76 yards on the ground. Lewis, a 27-year-old signal caller recently released by the Browns, didn’t appear in a game with the Texans in 2014, but he did start in five games for the Bills in 2013.

Here are the latest auditions from around the NFL..

The Giants worked out former Eagles quarterback/wide receiver/running back G.J. Kinne on Tuesday, according to Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger. The Giants also worked out punters Brandon Fields and Kasey Redfern.

The Jets had former Giants safety Stevie Brown in for a tryout today, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post (on Twitter).

Field Yates of ESPN.com reports that the Saints worked out tight ends Bear Pascoe and Gerell Robinson and wide receiver Austin Pettis (via Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune on Twitter).

Ross Scheuerman worked out for Buccaneers today, according to a league source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).

The Patriots auditioned two players today: defensive back Floyd Raven (formerly of Texas A&M and the Bengals) and linebacker Alex Singleton (formerly of Montana State and the Seahawks), according to ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss (on Twitter).

The Chargers have released receiver Austin Pettis, reports Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link).

Pettis, whom the Chargers signed to a futures-reserve contract in January, spent the first four seasons of his career with the Rams after they took him in the third round of the 2011 draft. He posted 107 catches and nine touchdowns in St. Louis, amassing career highs in receptions (38), yards (399) and scores (four) in 2013. He caught 12 passes in five games last year before the Rams released him in October.

Following a second-half of the season that featured plenty of workouts, a veteran receiver has finally found a home. According to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter), the Chargers have signed Austin Pettis. Michael Gehlken clarifies on Twitter that the deal is a futures-reserve contract.

The former third-rounder had the best season of his career in 2013, catching 38 passes for 399 yards and four touchdowns. In spite of the production, Pettis still reworked his contract with the Rams in September, practically cutting his salary in half. The fourth-year player made five appearances this season, catching 12 passes for 118 yards and a score.

He was released by St.Louis in late October, and he proceeded to work out for a variety of teams, including workouts with the Seahawks, 49ers and Panthers. He auditioned for San Diego in late December.

The 49ers are expected to part ways with Jim Harbaugh in less than 72 hours, and interested parties are positioning themselves to land the successful, if controversial, head coach. According to Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports (Twitter link), the University of Michigan, which reportedly has a six-year, ~$50MM offer on the table, will send officials (and its search firm) to the Bay Area this weekend to meet with Harbaugh. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com confirms the Michigan news, and reports that the Raiders will also speak with Harbaugh this weekend (Twitter link). Rapoport also adds (via Twitter) that Harbaugh will resolve his situation with the 49ers before he meets with either entity. Here’s more from around the league…

Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net passes along the latest regarding NCAA draft entrants, reporting that while defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches of Southern Mississippi and running back Devontae Booker of Utah will likely enter the draft (Twitterlinks), Rutgers receiver Leonte Carr will likely return to school for another year (Twitter link).

Meanwhile, UCF receiver Breshad Perriman didn’t receive a top-three round grade from the NFL Draft Advisory Board, so he’s still considering whether or not to enter the draft, tweets Pauline.

While the Titans will have a chance to draft either first or second in the 2015 NFL Draft, Zach Mettenberger believes the team already has the quarterback of its future, writes Jim Wyatt of the Tennesseean. “There’s not another guy out there who can do what I can do and bring what I can bring to this game.,” said Mettenberger. “Obviously (the Titans) have seen how hard I work and know that I’m a gym rat, and know that I am going to continue to get better. Really all I can do is continue that and show that I am going to continue doing it.”

Ex-Rams receiver Austin Pettis, released by St. Louis on October 20, worked out for the Chargers today, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link). San Diego’s Keenan Allen is nursing a collarbone injury, so Pettis could provide some insurance at the WR position.

Former Rams wide receiver Austin Pettis worked out for the 49ers on Monday, according to Caplan (via Twitter).

Defensive end Kenny Horsley auditioned for the 49ers, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter).

The Titans worked out former rugby star Carlin Isles, quarterback Seth Lobato, Van Dyke, and Williams, according to Wilson (on Twitter). Ri’Shard Anderson was a part of the same workout and wound up getting signed to the taxi squad.

Veteran wide receiver Austin Pettis worked out for the Panthers today, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter). Pettis, who was waived by the Rams in October, also worked out for the Seahawks recently. A third-round pick in 2011, caught 107 balls for 1,034 yards and nine touchdowns for St. Louis.

49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio doesn’t put much stock into a recent report that San Francisco almost dealt linebacker Ahmad Brooks to the Browns before last week’s trade deadline, writes Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. “It was never mentioned to me before the trade deadline ended and I would think that if there was any seriousness going on along those ways that [general manager] Trent [Baalke] would have mentioned it to me,” Fangio told KNBR in San Francisco. “And he never did. So I think those reports are way out of line.” Fangio’s reasoning is valid, but I outlined in the link above why the idea of the Niners shopping Brooks wouldn’t be too far-fetched. Here’s more from the NFC West.

49ers pass-rusher Aldon Smith‘s suspension won’t be reduced (as was rumored), according to Ed Werder of ESPN, meaning Smith will be allowed to return to the field on November 16 against the Giants. The linebacker, who was banned for the first nine games of the season, should provide a nice boost to a 4-4 San Francisco team.

Missouri governor Jay Nixon will hold a media conference call tomorrow to discuss the Rams’ stadium situation and how to keep the team in St. Louis, writes Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Amid rumors of the franchise moving to Los Angeles, Nixon’s comments should shed some light on the state’s commitment to retaining the team.